Consuming Far-Right Extremism. Consumption, Alter-Activism and Charity Ultranationalism in Recent Spain

One of the increasingly common ways the far right extends its influence is through consumption. As recent academic literature has reflected, beyond classic socialization such as the acquisition of past extremist literature, there are others that involve the consumption of everyday goods like clothing, food, or memorabilia. These products are created or promoted by far-right actors themselves, both to finance their activities and in alignment with their nationalist worldview. Although this is not the goal of their political action, such products play an indispensable role in the social contest, which has recently drawn public attention. In Spain, for instance, the recent Democratic Memory Law (2022) has persecuted the direct legitimization of the dictatorship through these objects.

This paper will analyze the consumer goods and the implications of its consumption among the adolescent and young Spanish population since the 2008 crisis. Through digital ethnography, we will focus on clothing, consumer goods in social spaces, and the consumption of past objects. Some preliminary results of this study include the systematic incorporation of goods with alter-activist/partisan, patriotic, or anti-feminist motifs to create an affective community among these age groups, as well as the use of these goods to generate antagonisms.

In conclusion, we reveal the importance of consumption as one more facet of Spanish far right “ultranationalist charity”, which distributes desirability and access to goods, thereby challenging hegemonic political or national conceptions. Furthermore, we will observe how consumption also intervenes in the creation of hierarchies within the nation, with particular attention to sexual difference and the possibilities for social transformation